Enjoy These 8 Guilt-Free Cocktails Without Sabotaging Your Weight Loss Efforts!

If you ask a dietitian which drinks to avoid when you’re watching your weight, mixed drinks would likely be their first answer! These tasty concoctions are a sure-fire way to get a party going, but they tend to be heavy on sugar and calories. The old standby vodka soda is low in calories, but it gets kind of boring after a while! Sweet, fruity, yummy cocktails? Yes, please!

Does this mean you have to give up your fun, boozy nights out? Of course not! Sometimes a cocktail or two is just what you need after a crazy day. Thankfully, there are plenty of tasty cocktail options out there that even a dietitian might indulge in.

What’s a guilt-free cocktail?

No, not all cocktails are created equal. Guilt-free cocktails are alcoholic mixed drinks that shouldn’t affect anyone’s weight loss efforts.

Guilt-free cocktails typically use zero-carb alcohol as the base. These include rum, vodka, gin, tequila, and whiskey.

But zero carb doesn’t equate to zero calories. The truth is that alcoholic drinks have lots of calories. In fact, if you’re not careful, you can drink the equivalent of your daily calories in just a few shots of alcohol!

Related article: Drinking and Training: Does Alcohol Kill Your Gains?

The Best 8 Guilt-Free Cocktails That Won’t Sabotage Your Weight Loss Efforts

Here are a few of my favorite low-calorie cocktail recipes that won’t ruin all your hard work:

1)   Sparkling Hibiscus Martini (96 calories)

Ingredients:

• ¾ oz vodka
• ½ oz hibiscus tea, brewed and cooled
• ¾ oz white grape juice
• ¾ oz sparkling wine
• Lemon peel (to taste)
• Mint (to taste)

How to make:

Add vodka, tea, and juice to a cocktail shaker. Shake with ice, and strain into martini glass. Top with sparkling wine. Squeeze lemon peel over glass to release oils, garnish with mint. (Source: Prevention)

2)   Avión Watermelon Martini (182 calories)

Ingredients:

• 2 oz Avión tequila (Silver or Reposado)
• 1 oz lime juice (fresh, if available)
• 4 1-inch cubes fresh watermelon
• 1 squeeze agave nectar (about 1 tbsp)
• 1 lemon wedge, for garnish (optional)
• A mint leaf for garnish (optional)

How to make:

Build ingredients in a Collins glass with ice, and stir. Garnish with lemon wedge and mint leaf if desired. (Source: Shape.com)

3)   Skinny Orange Crush (164 calories)

Ingredients:

• 1 cup orange juice (fresh-squeezed, if available)
• 2 oz orange-flavored vodka
• 1 oz triple sec
• 2 oz unflavored seltzer water

How to make:

Combine orange juice, vodka, and triple sec in a cocktail shaker, then shake for about 30 seconds. Pour drink into a glass, and top with seltzer. (Source: Chef Savvy)

4)   Strawberry Rhubarb Sangria (107 calories per 8-oz serving)

Ingredients:

• 3 1/2 tablespoons stevia (I like Truvia)
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 rhubarb stalks, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1/2 cup orange juice (fresh is best, juice of 1 orange)
• 1 orange, halved and cut into 1/4-inch slices
• 1 pint strawberries, hulled and quartered
• 4 cups (32 oz) chilled seltzer
• 1 bottle (25 oz) chilled Prosecco or dry sparkling white wine
• Ice

How to make:

In a small saucepan, bring stevia and water to a boil. Add rhubarb, then reduce heat and simmer for 1 minute. Transfer mixture to a small bowl and let it cool (to speed up the process, place the bowl in an ice bath). Meanwhile, combine orange slices, orange juice, strawberries, and sparkling wine in a large pitcher. To serve, add the cooled rhubarb mixture, seltzer, and ice to the pitcher. Mix and slightly muddle with a wooden spoon or ladle. Enjoy your cocktails with friends! (Source: Daily Burn)

5)   Green with Inn-vy (180 calories)

Ingredients:

• 6 slices cucumber
• 5 pieces honeydew melon
• 5 mint leaves
• 3 ounces Inniskillin Vidal icewine
• 1 cucumber wheel, for garnish
• 1 mint sprig, for garnish

How to make:

In a cocktail shaker, muddle cucumber, melon, and mint. Add Vidal and ice, and shake. Strain into a chilled martini glass and garnish with cucumber and mint. (Source: Shape.com)

6)   French Kiss Cocktails (116 calories per serving)

Note: This recipe makes 8 servings hence the plural cocktails

Ingredients:

• 1 bottle champagne, Prosecco, or Moscato wine
• 1 package raspberries
• 8 mint leaves
• 1/2 lemon
• A splash of vodka
• 1/2 tsp honey (Optional)
• 1 tsp chambord liqueur (optional)

How to make:

Place 5 berries and 2 mint leaves in the bottom of your champagne glass. Using a spoon, muddle raspberries until slightly mashed. Fill glass with champagne, Prosecco, or Moscato. Add vodka and lemon juice. Optionally, add 1/2 tsp honey and 1 tsp Chambord. (Source: Lexi’s Clean Kitchen)

7)   Nilla Basil Daiquiri (132 calories)

Ingredients:

• 4 basil leaves
• 1-1/2 tsp sugar-free vanilla syrup
• 2 oz rum
• 1/4 fresh lime, squeezed

How to make:

Muddle 3 basil leaves with vanilla syrup and lime juice. Add rum and ice. Shake to blend and chill. Strain into chilled martini glass. Garnish with remaining basil leaf. (Source: The Intoxicologist)

8)   Skinny Blueberry Spritzer (117 calories)

Ingredients:

• ½ cup blueberry juice
• 2 tbsp lime juice
• 1 tsp fine sugar
• ¼ cup champagne
• 1 cup ice cubes
• A few blueberries for garnish

How to make:

In a measuring cup, combine blueberry juice, lime juice, and sugar, mixing well. Fill a glass to the top with ice cubes, then pour the blueberry juice mixture over the ice. Add champagne and a few blueberries. (Source: Peanut Butter & Peppers)

What are your favorite guilt-free cocktails?

There’s always room to play and experiment when it comes to making your own guilt-free cocktails. You don’t need to learn any fancy bartender moves. A good balance of ingredients is really all that’s needed to make a tasty drink.

Need more guilt-free cocktails? Check out these Low Carb Cocktails For The Holidays!

For more low carb and keto-friendly recipes, check out our Intelligent Keto ebook!